as I say, if they went openly as religious.  Further, as Fray Luis Sotelo, of the Order of St. Francis, tried to go with the name of bishop of Xapon, delegate of the pope, and commissary-general (a thing prohibited by your Majesty), and as the bulls for it have been detained by your royal Council; and as your Council has declared that its opinion is that, if there were an open door, there would be many things to consider as to whether Fray Luis Sotelo should go [to Xapon], because of the many reasons that constrain them to prevent his passage; therefore, it is expedient for your Majesty to order that quickly; and that they recall the said Sotelo and take him from these islands, so that he may not go to Xapon. [Marginal note:  “Have what was ordered in this matter brought.”]

Having to speak of the orders in particular, I feel obliged to inform your Majesty of occurrences in this city between that of St. Dominic and the Society.  It was on an occasion of the death of a man in this city by stabbing, who begged loudly for confession.  It was not granted to him, because a father of St. Dominic said that absolution ought not to be given him, although the bystanders said that he had called for confession.  A father of the Society stating that absolution ought to have been given him, there arose between the two orders a very serious and violent controversy; for the Dominican fathers printed certain conclusions, in which they declared that it was a rash idea, and in practice a grave and sacrilegious offense to absolve one who, only by the report of bystanders had begged for confession, but was deprived of the power of speech.  The fathers of the Society of Jesus drew up other printed conclusions, in which they declared that it was not a rash or sacrilegious idea but a very pious one to absolve such a penitent.  They persuaded the people and the orders and so inflamed the controversy that I ordered them by a decree to put an end to both contentions.  Both orders agreeing to dispute in my presence, I assigned judges from my cabildo, and from the orders of St. Augustine and St. Francis, and learned persons of the city, to be present at the disputation, and consider the arguments on each side.  This was done, and the result was that, having assembled the other day, all the judges declared, nemine discrepante [i.e., “no one dissenting"], that the opinion of the Society was pious and reasonable, and could be followed.  The reverend Dominican fathers greatly resented this decision, and tried to carry their point by persuading the people to accept their conclusions.  I thought it a matter of scandal to condemn ministers, in an affair of the sacraments, by asserting that they were committing sacrilege.  I issued a censure, and ordered that no one should agree to their conclusions, and that the Dominicans should not hold them.  Upon this second decree they elected a judge-conservator who accepted the office, but did not continue in it;